The Boss's Nurse
by MorphineKittymax
Summary: Snake tries to cope with his PTSD through the help and guidance of his private duty nurse. *Alternate future for VS/set during/after TPP*
1. Chapter 1

The sound of water filling a medical water basin, the smell of antiseptic and medicated soap filled the corridors of the Boss' living quarters.

Danielle hurried over, sloshing droplets of water from the basin as she approached the man slumping in a chair. Dousing a wash rag in the water and wringing it out, she lathered it up with the medicated soap; grabbing his right forearm, she washed the newly afformated cuts and abrasions.

The man tensing up slightly, grimaced at the burning of the soap entering his wounds.

"I know you don't like that very much, but we have to get these cleaned." She murmured, feeling a slight guilt at hurting the man.

Upon opening his shirt, there was blood soaking the area just below his chest; dabbing away in search, there was no wound, no hint that there was a nearby gash or opening of some sort that required stitching. She continued to clean him as much as possible before the water had turned lukewarm.

After ridding the wash rag of the contaminated medicated soap and blood, she attempted to clean his face, neck and shoulders.

Carefully removing his eye patch, she smelled the stench of accumulated sweat from behind it where the unused eye was protected. He looked up at her, batting one eye first before the other had regained it's function. One silver and one blue, she stared at the blind eye shortly before focusing on the blue.

"S-sorry." She muttered, grabbing the rag and wringing it out again.

Danielle dabbed his face lightly, ridding the dirt and grime that covered his cheeks and around the shrapnel forged into the right side of his skull above the non-functioning eye.

She swiftly cleaned his neck and shoulders, admiring the muscularity. Danielle gasped silently as she felt the hardness of his chest, sighing with an uneasy tenseness, laboring her breaths as she reached his navel. Big Boss cleared his throat as if he were going to speak, she hurriedly left the area and headed for his left forearm.

She handled the prosthetic with immense care, afraid of hurting the man or damaging it. She pulled the straps down from his shoulder, gently pulling the prosthesis, but it wouldn't budge.

"Umm, I don't want to damage anything; could you tell me what to do?" Danielle asked shyly, wiping the sweat from her brow with the back of her hand.

"Yeah." Big Boss grunted, surprising her as he rarely spoke. She began to think he was becoming a mute, when he 'talked' it was more of gruntled noises around her.

Big Boss released the casing of the prosthesis that allowed the amputated arm to freely release. The crisp crimson red finish reflecting on the metal of the prosthesis created tiny sparkles that resembled diamonds upon the Boss' face. Danielle chuckled under her breath and gave Big Boss a slight smile, he hadn't noticed as he was looking in a different direction, spaced out in his own thoughts.

Gently cleaning what was left of his forearm, she finally finished; now it was time the wounds were treated with the antiseptic.

Low groans were heard between the two of them, nothing above a normal conversational level. She then headed for the eye drops, taking the basin back with her to the bathroom. Big Boss watched as she switched towards the door and emptied the pan, she then reached for the eye drops in the medicine cabinet.

She was a short woman, no more than five-foot-two with chocolate skin; not a common element upon nursing in their time, but she was good, so the team had to pick her up. Her long black wavy hair was tied back tightly in a neat ponytail, upon reaching up into the cabinet it easily reached her waist and the top of her bum. Boss couldn't resist a glance at her bottom before trailing up her thigh as her white mid-length dress raised.

"Ah-hah!" Danielle voiced, snapping Snake out of his prying. She approached him and tilted his head back, lifting the right eyelid as she dropped in the medicated eye drops. Batting his eyes immediately, a single tear shed from his right eye. She wiped it away with the palm of her hand.

"Thanks." Big Boss said as he glanced over at her while getting up from the chair, she nodded in reply as she watched him apply the prosthetic arm with ease and set on the fresh eye patch she had waiting for him on the table in front of him.

"Glad to be of service, Boss." She replied, cleaning up behind herself before leaving his quarters.

Reaching her own quarters; a whole platform above the Boss', since she was his personal nurse, required a keycard. Not wanting to set her supplies down, she searched the pockets of her dress for the card; "Shit." Danielle murmured, knowing she couldn't reach the pocket it lied in. Luckily, Ocelot whirled around the corner; the clicking of his spurs being heard before he actually came into view, spun into action.

"Let me help you with that." A red gloved hand appeared, "Thank you so much!" Danielle replied, swiftly taking out the keycard and registering it. She took back her supplies and thanked him again before closing the door of her corridor.

As she lay on her bed, she sighed deeply. The sun was setting, a deep orange tinged with yellow filling her room. The dinner bell would ring soon, so she resorted into changing into a pair of jeans and a fitted t-shirt.

Entering the Mess Hall, she greeted the fellow nurses and doctors; tonight was the Boss' favorite, Reuben on rye. It wasn't like eating at a five star restaurant, but it sure did hit the spot. Danielle liked to save portions of her meals to treat DD, she knew Big Boss wouldn't approve of it so she did it in secret.

Visiting DD's pen on the Animal Conservation Platform was a daily task for Danielle, she didn't get along with people as well as she did with animals. She'd sit and stroke DD for the majority of the night, until it became too dark to be out of the quarters for anyone.

That night Big Boss was visiting too, he'd caught her giving the last piece of her sandwich to the dog. "You know how much GMP we spend on feeding the staff here?" He asked, startling Danielle. "I know, I'm sorry; I was just leaving, Boss." She managed to say, in salute. He too walked over to DD's pen and handed him a piece of his leftovers.

"I know you do it often, it's not good to spoil him like this. It's especially not beneficial when he opts out of eating his own food, he acts like he's too good for kibble these days." Big Boss said, looking in her direction while he knelt down at DD's cage.

"I'm sorry, it won't happen again." Danielle said simply, before heading back to her quarters. Big Boss watched as her silhouette faded into the darkness, he stood up and retreated back to his own. On the way, he passed by Ocelot's, asking for intel on his next mission.


	2. Chapter 2

It was daybreak, Danielle rolled out of bed and made herself up for the day; which was first seeing about the Boss and how well his wounds were healing.

Upon reaching his quarters, she took a deep breath; hesitating for a moment before knocking on the door of his quarters. Ocelot passed by once again, always with helpful intent.

"He's not in, he's in the Command Center. I'll let him know you stopped by."

"Thank you again, sir." Danielle replied, Ocelot giving her a warm smile before heading off.

She waited for a couple of minutes, giving the Boss time to reach his quarters; he was after all well aged.

Big Boss reached his quarters in a timely manner, he greeted her with a nod as always in a courtly manner. "Morning Boss!" Danielle replied, saluting him once again. Once they entered his quarters she sat her supplies down and got to work.

"Anything you need Boss? Tea, coffee, anything, just let me know." "I'm fine, thanks." Big Boss replied. "I want you to give me a trim, and I'm gonna wash my hair if that's fine with you." He added, showing her a pair of scissors.

"A trim? With scissors?" She asked, giving him a puzzled look. "Just a trim, nothing major dollface." Big Boss replied, giving her a small smirk.

"O-ok, I'll try not to mess up."

Snake stripped down in front of Danielle, she was used to it, she'd seen the Boss on several occasions; she blushed every time, only seeing his naked posterior.

Big Boss had a pretty damn good looking bum, she fancied it more than wishing he'd turn around to reveal his 'naked snake'.

Undoing his ponytail, Snake got into the shower; not able to wash his hair with one hand, Danielle had to assist him.

She lathered his scalp up in medicated shower gel, soaking his scalp first before thoroughly giving him the lather, rinse, repeat method. She turned around while Big Boss bathed, she gathered his clothes and towel for when he finished.

"Could you, uh, wash my back please doll?" Snake asked, already handing her the rag before she had a chance to process the question. She took the rag and proceeded with action, washing harshly at the man's fairly weathered skin; his muscular frame towering above her. She continuously created paths in the man's back, up and down, in circular motions, and crisscross. Feeling she had been washing him for far too long, she handed him back the rag in which she laid it upon his shoulder.

Washing the soap off of her hands and forearms she began to silently pant, blood rushing through her making her heated in areas she shouldn't have felt. She had a thing for the Boss, bad. But she didn't let it stop her from doing her job, she knew the Boss wouldn't have felt the same way about her, being as young as she was. Just over the age of 21, hitting 22 in a couple of months.

Feelings washed over her as she continued to watch Big Boss bathe, it was like he was teasing her, taunting her into giving into his charm. But what charm? He barely spoke two words to her other than ordering her to do something for him. And she liked that, only her, being his personal nurse. She'd been the only one to see him and take care of him at his lowest, they really did share a personal aspect of one another. Only she didn't share about herself in the same way he did.

A feeling crashed over her, bowing her over the sink as she gasped; her eyes tightening, a tingling running through her legs, filling her lower half in an unsuspected sensation. Her pulse was racing, but her lungs choked of hot steam. She needed out now.

Images of Big Boss flashed through her mind, she imagined him being a man that likes it from the back; the Boss having her bent over while he fondled her breasts, his swollen member buried inside of her. She spun back to reality, shoving her feelings down her throat as a familiar throb surged from beneath her dress.

"No, not here; definitely not here." Danielle thought to herself, calming herself down."Maybe a quickie wouldn't hurt, it'd buy me time to why I'm so flushed or why I can't directly face him." She said to herself.

She gathered herself and entered the Boss' room; pulling up the door to the point that no one could see through the crack. She sat on the edge of the bed, setting herself up. She'd been pent up, tending to the Boss' each and every need, whether it'd be day or night. She desperately needed this.

There was no time to spare in getting comfortable, Danielle pulled aside the crotch of her wet panties; the air hitting her exposed genitalia, enhancing the sensation of her engorged clitoris. Her right palm encasing her delicate lady parts, never letting a digit enter. She kneaded her entrance with heavy pants, but quiet enough to not be noticed by someone in the other room. She eyed Big Boss' shemagh, luckily the green scarf was clean; he'd recently worn it the other day when he returned from a prior mission. She took it in her arms, burying her nose in the fabric, capturing each scent. His scent.

She moaned in pleasure at the motion of her hand creating circular paths along her mons pubis, the thought of him giving into her and fulfilling her passion brought her over the edge. She finished along with the sound of the water stopping; she crept up to the door, fixing her white dress before opening the door. Simultaneously the bathroom door opened as well, she rushed to the Boss' aid; helping with his prosthetic arm and signature eye patch.

"What were you doing in my room?" Big Boss ordered, breaking the silence between them. "I-I was looking for anything you may have needed to be washed, sir." Danielle replied, avoiding looking in his eyes.

"You know, you make a terrible liar." He said, noticing the disheveled edge of the bed along with his scarf out of place.

"Oh that? I was just admiring what accomplishments you've made in the last few months. Age really hasn't affected you one bit." Danielle complimented, avoiding the memory of her previous actions.

"Hmph." Is all Big Boss managed to voice, not in disbelief, but in acceptation.

Sitting him down in a nearby chair, she grabbed the scissors from the table; trimming the long loose ends of his beard and giving his wet tousled brown hair an even cut.

"There. You look... handsome." She added, dusting off stray hair from underneath his chin. He was more than handsome to her, he was the perfect image of the 'perfect' man in her eyes. His stories of his heroism branded in memory, she could write an epic of his endless tales; his mysticism only capturing her deeper, she was in fact irrevocably in love with Big Boss.


	3. Chapter 3

Big Boss was a busy man, he loved his job, but at the same time he wished for a break.

He pondered, thinking of God knows what; a gloved hand sat on his right shoulder, startling him out of his haze.

"You ok there?" Ocelot asked, grabbing a clipboard from the desk he now resided behind.

"Yeah, just peachy. Headache is all." Snake answered, leaning back in a chair of the Intel Platform with a sigh.

"You know what you need? That, there, nurse. That young one that sees you all the time."

"I bother her enough, today's her off day. I can manage." Big Boss replied.

"You're only gonna get older, Snake. There aren't many women in this field, you've been long over EVA, I suppose..." Big Boss shot Ocelot a stern stare.

"You know how she feels about you, palms clammy, voice ragged. The poor girl can barely look you in the eye." Ocelot dragged on, not looking up once from the clipboard he was holding.

"Yeah, out of fear."

"She's in adoration, Snake. Are you that dense? Don't you know what a woman wants? She looks at you, and she gets those starry eyes; she's in love with you." Ocelot added, putting down the clipboard, giving the Boss his full attention now.

"In love with the Legend. What could I possibly give her, I've passed my prime and she's what, twenty-eight years younger than I am? I'm more of a paternal figure to her, if anything." Big Boss answered, still slumped in his chair; his prosthetic hand covering a majority of his face.

"You don't know that, hell she could be an asset to you; someone to fall back on when you retire, whenever that is."

"Ocelot..." Big Boss growled, the slender blonde haired man waltzed out of the door. "Alright, alright."

Snake did think about it, not like he didn't check her out anyways. Besides, she's seen just about everything about him. She hasn't run... yet.

Danielle took her days off seriously, not letting a shred of work bother her. She'd make small talk with the fellow soldiers, they'd never take her seriously; only seeing her as a nice piece of ass.

"Dogs! Even DD is more mannerable, aren't you boy?" Danielle asked, giving her furry friend a scratch behind the ears. DD excitedly clobbered the young woman, pinning her against the side of the Intel Platform. Snake hurried over and got him back.

"DD down! You alright?" He asked the shaken woman.

"Yeah, he's just strong. Thanks Boss." She replied before attempting to leave, Big Boss grabbed her arm.

"Wait, I have some things I'd like to discuss with you." Her eyes met his one good eye, she felt a wave of unsurety. She hadn't done anything wrong, she'd stopped sneaking DD food for a solid week; the uncertainty in his eye made her nervous.

"What am I doing?" Snake thought to himself, "Am I really doing this, bringing myself up to dating again; this shouldn't be too hard, right?"

He brought Danielle to a more secluded place, where only they could hear one another. He combed his hair back with his good hand, feeling a bit nervous he spoke.

"Nice weather we're having out here."

"Uh, yes. Very nice, though I do miss the chirping of birds in trees, and the falling of leaves in the fall." Danielle answered, looking down at her shuffling feet.

"This is good, small talk is key." Snake thought to himself, he put a hand on the railing of the platform they were on and looked out onto the ocean.

"Do you like it here, I mean more than working in an enclosed hospital?"

"Yeah, it's different. I'm not too keen on the seasickness, but it's nice. I like being in an open environment." She replied, giving him a short smile.

Out of the corner of his eye, Snake caught Ocelot spying.

"Would you excuse me for one minute, dear?" Snake asked Danielle as he motioned for the room Ocelot was in.

"What the hell are you doing?" Big Boss demanded from the spying man, dragging him into the interrogation room.

"Is that what you call a date? Woo her, ask her about her likes, her dislikes. Give her something to crave you, maybe she'll open up to you. You're boring me to tears, Lord knows what you're doing to the poor girl!" Ocelot proclaimed in a hushed voice.

"You know I'm not good with women."

Ocelot literally face-palmed himself, bringing himself out of hiding and dragging Snake behind him.

"Well, how are you miss? Danielle is it?" Ocelot asked, kissing her hand courtly.

"You know some of the staff are attending a little get together tonight, just a small thing in celebration of your latest accomplishment." He added to Snake, "You two should go together, you should relax a little, Boss."

"What exactly are you suggesting, Ocelot? We're far from celebrating anything."

"Sounds like fun, I'd love to attend, B-Boss." Danielle spoke up.

"Great, the event starts around 19:30! And do freshen up, Boss." Ocelot continued before spinning on his heels, spurs clacking as he walked away.

Snake's jaw shifted to the right as he bit his lower lip; glancing at the watch on the prosthetic, he took out a cigar.

"You know smoking's bad for you." Danielle said, fanning the cigar smoke emitting from the butt of the one between the Boss' lips.

"You don't say." He muttered, putting out the newly lit Cuban favorite. Danielle smiled as he took her advice, he looked up at her trailing from the bottom first. She wore a pair of denim shorts and a front tie cropped sleeve shirt, just below the navel.

"Alright, so what do you like to do for, uh, fun?" He asked, adding emphasis to the word fun.

"Fun? It was a job in itself with the epidemic here, if you mean catching up on all the mail I've received from my parents and the occasional tapes my friends back home send, that's about it. But I do enjoy helping out with tending to the garden, reminds me of home. My grandmother has a garden, my mother wishes to have one like her, but everything she plants; well you get the idea." Danielle joked, hoping to get a smile out of the Boss.

"Care for a game of Connect Four? I'm sure you're not a Poker fan. I used to whip some tail playing with Ocelot, he wouldn't ever admit it though." Snake offered, escorting Danielle to his quarters.

"No thanks, Boss. I've got to tend to some things first, I'll catch you before the event, ok? I'll make it up to you later." He watched Danielle switch away, her hips swaying in rhythm with the movement of her shirt set atop of them.

"Damn." He muttered to himself, before slipping another cigar between his lips and resorting back to his own quarters.


	4. Chapter 4

"Shit, shit, shit! Holy fuck!" Danielle shouted, while she paced around her room. Reality was finally kicking in, she'd just scored a night with the Boss.

"I have nothing to wear, I don't want to show up looking like some bimbo." She flipped through the hanging clothes of her armoire, searching for something nice, but appropriate for the night; she picked out a black off the shoulder neckline dress with a bodycon fit. She quickly scanned the analog clock on the nightstand by her bed, it read five-forty-five."Shit." She hissed, jumping into the shower.

Remembering her meeting with the Boss before the night's event, she quickly made herself up; her eyes blackened with winged eyeliner and her lips doused red. She curled her hair lightly also, adding a bounce to her naturally wavy off black locks.

By the time she'd finished it was seven on the dot, a short knock on the door was heard as she stepped into her heels. Fearing she'd been late to meet the Boss, she sprinted across the room to the door.

Upon opening the door, she saw a familiar figure dressed in black; his back facing her, he turned.

"Hi, I brought you these." Big Boss said, handing Danielle a bouquet of red roses.

"Thank you so much, they're lovely!" She admired, filling a vase of water for them; he continued to stand outside of her quarters, dressed in a black tuxedo with a black bow tie to match. He held out his right arm for her to walk arm in arm, she gladly accepted; the sound of The Seychelles Waters roaring below the base set the perfect mood, the summer sunset adding a warm sheer atmosphere as they made their way to the Command Platform.

As they made their way down, Ocelot awaited their arrival; along with a few other soldiers on guard.

"My, my don't you two look dazzling; Miller queue the music." Ocelot called out to Kaz on a platform above.

"You set this all up." Big Boss confronted Ocelot, narrowing his left eye.

"You'll thank me later." Ocelot replied, shrugging off as he walked away; music blared through the horn louderspeakers, the song was True by Spandau Ballet.

Snake turned to Danielle, her brown eyes glinting from the setting sun; she looked beautiful tonight, a different emotion striking him as he looked upon her.

"I guess I should've known this was set up, thanks for actually seeing me tonight, Boss." Danielle said, giving the Boss a half smile; he knew she was broken, but she didn't know that he didn't want this night to end just yet.

Grabbing her arm again, he asked her for a dance. She reluctantly accepted, placing her hands atop of his shoulders while he clasped his hands around her waist. They danced silently for a moment, Danielle tried to keep herself from hyperventilating; breathing slowly out of her mouth at first as her pulse raced, he broke the silent tension by singing softly in her ear.

"I didn't know you could sing, Boss; you're great!" Danielle mentioned, leaning back from him to look him in the eye.

"Thanks, it's uh one of my favorite songs." He replied, giving her a light smile; his eye twinkling as he grabbed her hand.

"Mine too." She replied sweetly, bashfully looking away; he lifted her chin, his face mere inches from hers. Ocelot interrupted with glasses of champagne, Big Boss watched as Danielle thanked Ocelot and took a sip from her glass; a genuine smile spread across his lips, as her eyes met his.

"Are you ok, has the alcohol gotten to you already?" She joked, feeling his head with the back of her hand.

He lifted a lock of her hair off of her shoulder and tucked the rest behind her ear; he captured her beauty, soaking it in as the final glint of light disappeared into the night. He leaned in again, her red lips crashing into his pink ones; it took him by surprise, but once he warmed up he was all for it. His good hand trailed up her leg as her left hand explored the back of his head, their tongues grazing each other; heavy pants and heaves were heard among the two, she couldn't help but laugh at the scratchiness of his mustache and beard. Finally pulling away he deemed their next destination.

"Why don't we get out of here?" Big Boss asked, grabbing her hand with his prosthetic hand; she willfully followed, the Boss continuously making out with her as they reached his quarters. He struggled to scan his keycard, his focus primarily on the woman now pinned to the door; as he managed to finally register the key, he lifted Danielle in his arms, carrying her to his bedroom. She slipped out of her heels and wiped off her lipstick, before ridding herself of the black dress. Big Boss shed his dress jacket and unbuttoned his collared dress shirt, she helped him out of his slacks as she pulled off her black lace panties; the both of them fully nude. Big Boss paused, hovering over her as she rubbed his upper arms and shoulders.

"You are so beautiful." He managed to say, looking in her eyes; she kissed him back, pulling him by the waist, closer to her. He stroked himself, trying to achieve a firm erection; it wilted, but not as bad as a man with erectile dysfunction. Danielle could tell he was becoming frustrated, he cursed under his breath attempting to commence in sexual intercourse; unintentionally hurting her in the process.

"Shit, I'm sorry baby." Snake apologized; she helped stroke him a little, still kissing him while gently calming him.

"It's ok, I understand; we don't have to tonight." Danielle added, setting him on the other side of the bed. She hugged his torso, stroking the right side of his face.

"I can get hard, it just takes a while; it's my anxiety, feeling like I won't be able to perform well enough for you." Big Boss admitted, covering himself with a pillow.

"If it makes you feel any better, let me try." She replied, climbing in his lap; she lifted his wilting manhood, stroking it before attempting to slide him into her. Her hands on his shoulders, rocking her hips back and forth; she moaned at him inside of her as he fondled her breasts, he slid out as she lifted from his lap.

Kissing his neck, she continued to grind in his lap; biting his lower lip as her hands wrapped around his neck. "Are you not attracted to me?" She asked, pausing as her methods were bringing neither of them the satisfaction they both yearned for.

"What? Why would you even bring up that subject?" Snake asked, upset at the question.

"I don't know, maybe I thought you were hiding the fact you couldn't get it up because of me." She snapped; thinking of what she said, she apologized.

"You think I don't think you're attractive?" His eye narrowing, "How could you think that this was attractive? Missing appendage, half blind, and on the verge of death each and every day. I feel nothing but anger, rage on the inside; I've never felt that love could ever bloom again, but I was wrong until you came into my life." She kissed him through the tears she shed, wrapping herself in his embrace.

Slipping back into her panties, Danielle admired his scars; the Boss sharing tales about each one she pointed out until she fell asleep on his chest. He kissed her goodnight as he lit a cigar, the light of the butt illuminating his face lightly in the darkness of the room.


	5. Chapter 5

Danielle awoke to the sunlight hitting her directly in the face, it was just past daybreak; staff would soon be rising for their duties. She rose with a yawn, still half naked from the night before.

Looking beside her, she was alone; Big Boss was nowhere to be found within his quarters, she'd thought he'd gone to his own duties. But without telling her, without leaving her a note?

"The nerve of him, giving me a one night stand!" She yelled, looking for her dress. By the time she'd finished her sentence, Big Boss was opening the door of his quarters; he stood at the door with a familiar smirk, puffing on a cigar.

"Kept you waiting, huh?" He asked, handing her one of his military fatigue shirts. Ocelot appeared at the door shortly, he saw Danielle for a brief second; Big Boss stepped out of the door with him. She put on the shirt and rolled out of bed, putting on a kettle of tea; the Boss finished his conversation and joined her.

He sat in a nearby chair and finished his cigar, she could tell he didn't have good news; but the Boss was a mysterious man, you couldn't tell if he was content even if he was.

"I'll be deploying soon." He said, breaking the silence between them.

"When are you leaving?" She asked, cupping her tea on the counter.

"In a day, or two."

She looked into her cup before pouring it out into the sink, she made her way to the bathroom; Snake watched as he took one last hit of his cigar and put it out in the ash tray nearby.

"What's wrong with you?" Snake asked, putting his hand on her right shoulder.

"I hate seeing you leave, I hate feeling like I'll never see you return to Mother Base in one piece; breathing." Danielle said, her voice choked full of emotion.

"There's a job that needs doing, and I'm the one that has to get it done."

"I know... I know." She answered through sobs, clinging to his chest. "Shower with me, Snake." She added, looking into his blue eye. He reluctantly agreed, ridding himself of the things that held him back. She caressed the right side of his face, paying full attention to the blinded eye as her right hand trailed down to his left arm; locking her fingers with the prosthetic. She slipped the straps down off his shoulder and unlocked the casing, gently pulling off the crimson bionic arm. She took his left elbow in her hand comforting and encouraging him to forget about all of his worries, she'd seen him and accepted him the way he was.

She ran the water, checking the temperature before they both climbed in; she lathered up a rag and bathed herself, while Big Boss hid himself behind his own; she grabbed his hand and shot him a warm smile.

She helped bathe him; his shoulders, chest and back. Avoiding his face and arms, she pressed herself against him; resting her head on his chest. He brought up his right arm, encasing her in an embrace that turned into heated kisses; she leaned into him, giving him the notion she'd wanted more than kisses.

He kissed her down her neck, groping her with his one hand; leaving the other arm completely motionless. She took his left arm, rubbing it on sensitive areas of her body; moaning as he watched. Big Boss regained his composure, using the arm to keep her steady as he explored her body with his right hand; she tugged at the semi-erect penis, encouraging him to let go of his problems.

His erection grew, twice as firm as it did the night before; he lifted her in his arms, setting her on his manhood against the wall of the shower. He pumped into her, hitting her in the right places; her hips grinding into his. He set her down, turned off the water, and brought her to the bed. Big Boss was on his elbows, slowly, but forcefully thrusting into her; her legs wrapped around his waist, she moaned uncontrollably. He knew she wasn't faking it, by the way her legs trembled around him. He finished inside of her, kissing her deeply as they both panted; he managed to almost inaudibly confess, "I love you." "I love you too, Boss." Danielle replied, setting herself up for another dose of peaceful slumber.


	6. Chapter 6

**Spoiler warning of various story & side missions in TPP through the rest of the story!**

With one eye closed, he breathed. The air was filled with a light and airy sweet scent, in which his quarters before rank of musk and gunmetal; he appreciated the change, as it was the smell of a woman, his woman.

The soft clicking of a finished tape was heard in the distance, filling the room with silence. He eyed the naked woman beside him, only her lower half garbed with white linen sheets; her fallow skin glistening in the sunlight. Big Boss lightly brushed the back of his fingers over her back, caressing the indentation; following the length of her spine, admiring each and every blemish upon her youthful skin.

His thoughts bounced back to his previous moments with her, reliving the passion they shared; the passion he thought he only had for The Boss, she was the only woman he loved. Yet he declared he loved another, and she loved him back just the same.

"Hmm, Snake?" Danielle asked just above a whisper, in response to his touch.

"Did I wake you?" He asked, feeling guilty of his actions.

"Don't worry about it, I shouldn't be lazing about anyways." She said, stretching in place. "What time is it?"

"Fifteen past eleven." He answered, glancing at his watch.

"Shit." She sniffed. "How'd you sleep?" She asked accordingly, lifting the covers over her bosom as she rose. He gave a small complacent laugh as she watched in bewilderment.

"Did you not... sleep?" She asked again, placing her left hand on his shoulder.

"Yeah." He replied simply, "Not as good as you though."

Her eyes lowered as she realized he'd heard her snore, she was so relaxed with him now as he were with her. Their eyes met as he gently stroked the side of her neck with the palm of his good hand, Danielle twirled a few strands of the Boss' hair around her finger. She was now in his lap, her lips resided atop of his, his mouth parting slightly in a welcoming invitation; she lingered there motionless.

"S'matter?" He questioned her, blowing a bit of hot air across her lips. She licked hers before continuing, "Nothing." She managed to answer, savoring the man's kisses as he traversed down her neck. His hands rested on her hips, cuffing the indentation of the dimples on her backside before the thumb of his good hand drew circles around her hip bone.

She felt the tightening in his pants grow between her, as if on instinct, she was unbuckling his belt and ridding him of his trousers. They tussled for a moment before settling as Danielle being on top, she smiled down at him feeling victorious as she pinned him by the shoulders; he rolled his eye playfully, smiling back up at her. Between the both of them, she knew Big Boss let her win, she was no match for the legend in any way.

Setting herself comfortably on top of him, she bounced. The sounds of a squeaking box spring mattress was heard through occasional muffled noises of the stirred sea below, the Boss looking more and more uncomfortable as she picked up speed.

"Slow down, Dan-" He managed to voice, wincing through his good eye. "You're inexperienced, a quick fuck is never the way to go." She lifted off of him slowly, an embarrassed feeling flowing through her as he turned her around.

He leaned her towards him and took her from the back; her eyes closed, mouth open to let out an occasional moan whilst Snake slammed into her from behind. Her head fell back onto his shoulder while one hand gripped his hair, he reached over to kiss and nibble at her neck while she guided his hand in circular motions over herself.

"Snake," She moaned, "Oh, Snake... oh shit... oh fuck!"

The Boss picked up pace, his hand still pawing at Danielle's lower half, both of them close; Snake huskily breathed as his kisses trailed up her jaw, tickling her ear before reaching her cheek. Danielle readily turned her head, locking their lips as they came; together.

The two fell backwards, the Boss crashing into his pillow as Danielle followed on top, her arms perched on his chest. A fluttering mist of feathers floated above them, giving Danielle an appearance of an angel as he watched her above him.

"I love you." She said, enclosing his lips in another kiss before he could speak.

"Good." He answered, shoving a lock of hair behind her ear. The two of them locked eyes for a moment, not wanting to leave their positions; an unsuspected rumbling occurred below her, breaking the silence in the room.

"You're hungry, me too. It's just about that time isn't it, Boss?" Danielle asked with a smirk, both of them getting up and dressed properly for the day.

They spent his last day together, he pampered her, showing her off on his arm. They made their way towards the mess hall, walking hand in hand without ignominy; their fingers laced around one another. Some of the other staff didn't approve of their behavior, they'd make sly judgmental remarks under the Boss' nose to Danielle; even some of her friends managed to ignore her.

The pair entered the kitchen, spotting soldiers with trays of food. Some of them look up and salute.

"Good afternoon, sir! I hope you had a restful sleep-in!"

A soldier next to him bumps his arm and whispers, "Didn't you hear? She and Big Boss were at it like dogs this morning."

"Really?" Another fellow soldier asks.

"Yeah, that's what I've heard from Ocelot. He said she was quite the vocal one too." The soldiers laugh quietly to themselves.

"Oh yeah, I don't doubt that."

Danielle stood there mortified, the entire base probably knew she was sleeping with the Boss, not like they were trying to hide their relationship or anything.

She mentioned how rude the others were acting, it didn't bother the Boss one bit; he carried on with his line of duty with her by his side.

"I don't have time to address petty jealousy, don't pay attention to them." He added, kissing her on the cheek as she watched him work.

His next mission was to recapture Sahelanthropus, eliminate the English vocal cord parasites, and rescue the children. Eli had taken Sahelanthropus along with his fellow child soldiers back to Africa, in the meantime he had all the adults to flee off the island they posted. The only problem was Cipher and his men were looking for him, even if they captured Sahelanthropus, they'd too be infected with the English strain of the vocal cord parasite Eli was carrying.

"Damn it Boss, they've spread the parasite across the island; luckily the parasites cannot survive in salt water, so they are confined to the island. He's using them as a sort of barrier to prevent any adults from entering his little "kingdom"." Kaz said, pacing back and forth through the Intel Platform.

"The objective is to recover Sahelanthropus and the children; Eli included. Once you're in the air, we'll hit the island with napalm. Can't let those things spread." Ocelot added, his brow furrowing.

The men turned their attention towards Danielle, she sat there silently as they planned their strategy.

"Boss, w-what is she doing here? It isn't like she's a part of this mission, the men aren't so welcomed to her 'privileges'. She's a volunteer like everyone else-"

"It's fine, they'll deal with it." Snake said, interrupting Kaz. "Look around, we're a family. No one's getting any special treatment."

Ocelot snickered at his statement, "Alright then, I guess sleeping in the Boss' quarters isn't special is it? Not having to share bunks with fellow staff, and listening to all the whimpering and whining of homesick soldiers finally realizing they're not cut out for this job." Kaz mentioned, limping over to Snake.

"Enough. Let's just get this over with, we need to narrow down a search area asap."


	7. Chapter 7

It was barely morning, the first appearance of the light of day hadn't even arrived; a handful of soldiers stood guard as many others boarded several helicopters, headed to Africa.

Danielle marched along with the Boss, relishing his last moments with her. He looked down at her, a solemn smile crept across his lips as a single tear shed from her eye.

"Good luck, soldier." Danielle said, saluting the Boss; smiling as her cheeks shimmered from the light finally starting to peak through the clouds.

The Boss nodded in response, embracing her before he boarded the copter ahead.

"I don't want to lose you!" Her voice called out to him, he slowly turned back to her, not wanting to see her like this even if it were the last he'd see her.

"You won't, I'll be back for you; I promise. The Legend never dies." Big Boss shouted as the whirring blades began to drown everything out.

She watched as he transitioned forward, onto the copter and sitting down as it started to gain altitude.

Her eyes were red as coals, her hand over her mouth tightly as she tried regaining some composure; her shoulders shuddering as Ocelot placed his arm around her; she turned to his shoulder, burying her face in his red scarf.

"There, there, it's alright. He has a whole army behind him, that man is a legend; he's always found a way out of a situation, no matter how big it was. He just keeps on trekking." His voice soothing her, he brought her into the mess hall for a cup of black tea.

"Thanks... for everything." Danielle uttered, her eyes swollen from the tears she'd shared between them. Ocelot nodded, rubbing her back supportingly.

It was nice of him to comfort her, she had no one left to turn to. They hated her all for the wrong reasons, if it weren't for Ocelot, they wouldn't be where they were today no matter if she hadn't volunteered.

Big Boss had reached the island in Central Africa, the area was surrounded by a salt lake, a safer step to finding Sahelanthropus, Eli, and the kids.

He gathered his weapons and a gas mask for the venture ahead, alerting the Intel Team of his arrival.

The Boss treaded through the wetland marsh, avoiding booby traps in his path. The island was littered with dead XOF soldiers who fell victim to the booby traps set presumably by the children. He'd wanted to save them more than any one else on the base, he cherished children; more so due to the fact he couldn't have any of his own. That fire burned through him for as long as he could remember, the only thing he had close to a child of his own was his clones, and he resented that.

Upon reaching the center of the island, the Boss found Sahelanthropus and the rest of the children with Eli; the XOF soldiers did too. They surrounded the Metal Gear, Snake watching from behind cover as they approached it; taking aim, they fired with everything they had, only dealing no damage to the Metal Gear or the inhabitant.

Eli started the machine and took a stance, obliterating everything in his path until he came face to face with his 'father'.

"I knew you'd be through here." Eli stated, confronting Big Boss.

"You're not a kid anymore. You call your own shots. But at this rate you'll be dead before you have a chance."

"I'm free to die however I wish. You don't get the last word, Father. I'll break the curse of my heritage! And to do that, first I will kill you!" Eli retorted before climbing into the hatch of the machine once again.

The Diamond Dogs made their grand appearance, assisting Big Boss in an seemingly endless battle between them and Sahelanthropus, piloted by Eli. Fire and destruction rain from the sky to land, burning and destroying what vegetation remained; bullets severed men left and right, slaughtering them like pigs. Before long, Sahelanthropus was over; leaving Eli defeated, thanks to Snake.

A few rogue XOF soldiers came around, eyeing Eli as he managed to escape the machine. They had their eyes set to kill, Snake being the hero, quickly readied his handgun for his last fight.

The soldiers fired back, giving no mercy to whoever or whatever stood in their way; a grenade was thrown to flush Snake out of his cover, he dove to the other side, the explosion catching him before he could land. The blow he took to his head caused movement of he shrapnel in his brain, resulting in him having a seizure; once he regained consciousness, he lost the ability to determine the difference between red and white.

He quickly brought out his pistol, shooting every man in white; yet they all appeared to be dressed in white, even though Eli wore a red pilot suit. As his brain regained the ability to correctly register the colors, Snake noticed his mistake; he'd ended up shooting Eli himself.

The rest of the Diamond Dogs team, along with Ocelot arrived at Snake's side; checking over Eli, they noticed he wore a bulletproof vest. Upon searching him, they also noticed he was showing symptoms of the vocal cord parasite; they decided to leave him as it was already too late, he'd be 'sanitized' with the contaminated island.

A few days later, Big Boss returned to base; Danielle was there waiting for him, a broad smile plastered on her face as she watched the helicopter land. He approached her and lifted her in his arms, kissing her as the rest of the Diamond Dogs forces cheered for his accomplishment.

"I told you I'd be back for you." He said, while clasping his hands tightly around her waist; blood seeping down his face.

"I know, I never doubted you one bit. Come on, let's get you patched up." Danielle suggested, taking his hand and leading him towards the medical facility.

Taking out several rolls of gauze and antiseptic, she asked if he had any lingering pain.

"It's just my head, I had a seizure, a partial seizure. There was a blast, and I took a blow to the head; it altered my vision, and..."

"Shh, it's ok. As long as you didn't have an absence seizure, you knew what you were doing and what you had to do. That's all that matters." Danielle kissed his bandaged forehead, comforting the man as he tried thinking over what he had done.

"Would you like to go lie down, watch an old film? I could cook you up a nice Tri-Tip with a salad, you'd like that wouldn't you huh?"

Big Boss became unresponsive, he was just staring into space.

"I-I'm just going to close my eyes for a moment."

He started shaking his head and wincing, his left arm mildly shaking.

"Boss, are you alright; is it your arm? Talk to me!" Danielle ordered, looking the man over as he grunted and breathed heavily.

"It's like an electric shock going through my arm and my head. I have no control over the convulsions in my arm, every time my arm moves it hurts my head." He answered, gripping the side of the patient's bed, Danielle held his head steady as his prosthetic flung uncontrollably.

"It's shooting down my left side, I still feel the arm and my fingers."

He stopped for a second, blinking as he watched Danielle look him over.

"Are you feeling any better? Here lie down, if you fall I won't be able to get you up." She suggested, making the Boss as comfortable on the bed as possible.

"No."

The shaking of his arm and head came back immediately, more violently than before. She was torn between leaving him and having him injure himself or staying with him, watching him suffer. Her heart raced in her chest as tears streamed down her face.

"I've never helped a patient with seizures before, I need to get help now; I'll be back shortly!" Danielle raced through the medical platform, searching for a doctor; they were all busy with other patients, Ocelot was there, his help had to suffice.

"Ocelot, sir! It's the Boss, he's having a seizure; he's having a bit of phantom pain, and he said an explosion triggered his epileptic seizures. You've got to hurry!"

Ocelot and Danielle hurried back to the Boss, he laid there writhing in pain. "Here, give him a shot of phenobarbital, I'll hold him steady." Ocelot called out, handing Danielle a syringe.

Shortly after, Big Boss started to relax, his breathing slowed to a normal and the convulsions stopped. He began to talk with a slur as the drugs kicked in.

"Shh it's ok, just relax." Danielle said, brushing his hair back as he tried sitting up. "No, no. Just lie down, you're in no shape to go anywhere."

He obviously fussed with her, even if they couldn't understand what he was saying, but his face sure showed what he was thinking.

"Here, put him in a wheelchair; the medicine commonly induces fatigue, he's probably tired. Knowin' the Boss, he's determined, when he wants something there's nothing he won't do to get it. Since this has happened, he'll probably have more than just one seizure; give him a shot daily so they won't be too bad." Ocelot added, helping Danielle set him in the chair and giving her an injection solution vial.

"Thank you so much, sir. You've been nothing but helpful! You do your job well." Danielle thanked Ocelot, leaving him grinning from ear to ear.

She wheeled the Boss back to his quarters, struggling for a moment getting him out of the wheelchair; luckily he had enough sense to know she was helping him into bed.

"There. You rest up now, I'll get you that steak and salad ok?" Danielle mentioned, whispering in his ear before she kissed him.

The Boss napped for several hours, he awoke groggily as the drugs hadn't yet worn off completely.

"W-what happened?" He asked, rubbing his eye as he held his head with the other hand.

"Oh good, you're awake; take it easy, you had a seizure. Do you know my name? Do you know yours?" Danielle asked Big Boss as she rubbed his upper arms, he looked at her strangely for a second, giving his mind a chance to register everything.

"Yeah, y-you're Danielle and I'm B-Big Boss."

"Right, you're Big Boss." A smile washed over her face as his memory came to, she gave him his dinner; watching as he devoured every morsel.

"Ocelot had me give you a dose of phenobarbital, you'll need to take it at least once a day too keep the seizures down, before they gradually rise."

He nodded in response, realizing he needed more medication; at least it wasn't more bullets or shrapnel, or hell even another missing limb.

Danielle stayed the night with the Boss, making sure he didn't have anymore seizures, but he did; several that night. He had them in his sleep, at first she thought he was only having a nightmare, but something didn't seem right. He'd get up and look outside as if something were there, or if he were making sure no one was there; he became restless, a knife under his pillow and a gun on the nightstand.

He explained that he couldn't sleep because he kept seeing things in the shadows and on the walls. He got up and checked the lock on the door for the fifteenth time, the window for the twentieth, the closet, bathroom, and under the bed. He did it all over again complaining he might have missed something the first twenty times.

Danielle begged him to come to bed and that nothing was there, he slept above the covers claiming it saved time if he had to leap out of bed. Danielle brought in a night light to help him sleep, she couldn't sleep in the dark either when she was alone; she cuddled him trying to relax him into sleeping and that he and she and the entire base was safe under his protection.


	8. Chapter 8

Several weeks have passed, the Boss' seizures were pinpointed down to twelve a night; his medication only helped during the day, but when night fell he was nothing more than a soulless wandering soldier. Kaz believed his seizures were triggered by suppressed thoughts or emotions, when he slept his mind was free; free of having to choke back trauma and deceit running through his veins.

Worried for Danielle's safety, she was quickly moved back to her own quarters and if needed she'd stay with one of the other staff members. To her, that was the last thing troubling her, she knew the Boss wouldn't hurt her, or would he? No, he depends on her too much; he knew her like the back of his hand, so she hoped.

Danielle's own health had deteriorated, leaving her in a state of depression, exhaustion, and overall disgust. Everything made her sick, simple smells, the tea she enjoyed on a daily basis, and to add insult to injury, she believed she knew why. But she kept it to herself, knowing it was highly unlikely that THAT was the reason why she was so ill, but the weight gain... No, it was because she'd been with the Boss so much, caring for him; yeah. She just needed to cut back, that's all.

"Ocelot, can I speak to you for a minute?" Danielle called out, catching up with the man ahead of her, "Sure, what's up?"

She looked at him nervously, her thumbs twiddling as she she thought of what to say.

"I just needed your opinion on all the medications the Boss needs for his seizures, the Phenobarbital only helps so much during the day."

"Oh, alright; I guess I could take a look, you know you should be asking a doctor about this instead of me." He said, helping her sort through the pantry medicine cabinet.

"You may just have to give him another shot at night, Carbamazepine and Valproate are the only things I see; consult with his doctor, or give him another shot in the afternoons."

"Thanks, he's taking enough already; I don't want to overdose him or anything, I'll just take your advice." She replied, giving him a small smile.

While sorting the Boss' medication, Danielle felt a familiar feeling of sickness, harboring at the bottom of her gut. Almost dropping the prescription bottles, she ran down the hall to the lavatory, spilling her guts in the porcelain bowl below.

Ocelot was at the door of the bathroom, he lightly knocked in response, "Are you ok?" He asked with concern. She thought to herself for a moment, knowing if she lied it could be a bigger problem than if she'd just came clean and gotten the help she needed.

"No." She said simply, taking a deep breath before continuing, "I've been so sick lately. I thought it was only a 24 hour virus or something, I feel so bad."

"What kind of symptoms have you had other than vomiting?" He asked.

"Uh... irritability, and certain smells and tastes are revolting. It's been weeks."

Ocelot took a moment to reply, analyzing her statement to see if he'd heard her correctly.

"O-Ocelot, are you there?"

Snapping out of his thoughts, "Yeah, sorry. Have you missed your... you know, menstrual cycle?" He asked in a hushed voice, stumbling over his words as he tried to relate to the young woman.

"What? Umm, no, I mean it's never been this late. I thought it was the stress, I spotted for a day or two." Her hands began to tremble, the coldness from shock and anxiety flaring up in them.

"You don't think I'm pregnant do you? I mean I can't be... The Boss, he's... he's sterile." Those words lingered in her mind, facing the fact that if she had a life with Big Boss, they'd never share a single child. It broke her, just as much as it did him. The shuffling of feet and the opening of the bathroom door broke her out of her thoughts.

"Darling, I really think you are knocked up. We should get you pregnancy test." Ocelot said as he grabbed her arm.

As the two reached halfway back to the medicine cabinet, Danielle felt another wave of sickness.

"Ocelot, please hurry. I don't think I can make it back with you."

"You can stay here, it'll only take me a minute." He said, making sure she was alright before moving out.

Danielle made it back to the bathroom, looking herself over, Ocelot made it back in record time; his face expressing what he felt before he spoke.

"Ahh, no luck; since we don't have many women in this field, we don't have to worry about those things happening. But I cannot fathom your situation, the Boss is sterile. I mean unless there was some miracle happening in his junk, he'll never be able to reproduce normally."

With that being said, she checked herself again; pulling up her shirt, she felt around her lower abdomen. It felt hard, like there was something there.

"Do you feel something?" Danielle asked Ocelot, guiding his hand.

"Hmm, it is like something's solid right in there."

She looked at herself in the mirror from the side, gasping in shock at the bump that had already formed.

"D-do you think you can give me an ultrasound to make sure everything's alright? I don't want anyone else to know, I'm having a hard time as it is."

"I-I can't help you, I still can't even wrap my head around the whole ordeal." He took a second, if she was carrying the Boss' child, they'd have to keep it a secret; keep it safe.

"Alright, fine. I'll see what I can do, I'll tell you now, I don't know what the heck I'm doing. And besides, when are you going to tell him?"

"I'll tell him... eventually." She answered, staring into Ocelot's eyes as she searched for sympathy in them.

Danielle relaxed on the medical exam bed, Ocelot squeezing ultrasound gel on the transducer; he applied the cold substance to her bare abdomen, searching for a heartbeat, or a sign that life was indeed growing within her.

In a matter of minutes, a fluttering heartbeat was caught; the shape of the fetus already formed, wriggling about. Ocelot nearly dropped the transducer in astonishment, Danielle tearing up at the sight of the monitor.

"H-How far along do you think you are? This can't be just a few weeks!" Ocelot asked, his eyes still widened.

"No more than ten to twelve weeks, I'm sure! It's so tiny and precious, hurry take a snap!"

"This doesn't answer how you're going to tell him, you can't just slip him a 'Oh, I'm pregnant, but it's no big deal.' There's no telling how he would take it, he's been under unspeakable amounts of stress, and you know that; if he does listen, hopefully he takes it well." He said, shutting off the machine.

Danielle's mind became a blur, her thoughts now focused on the man she loved more than ever. She stared at the picture of the fetus, telling herself everything would be ok; the Boss would be more than happy, he'd be so ecstatic to see his very own child growing; developing before his own eyes.

She hid her condition from the Boss, avoiding him as much as possible; she knew he could read her like a book. Her frequent bouts of sickness worried him, yet she blamed it on the seasickness; he still insisted that she'd see a practitioner.

Danielle's heart was in her throat as the doctor engaged in a series of tests on her, he noticed that her abdomen was quite swollen; he felt around, Danielle becoming increasingly agitated, fought back.

"Stop touching me! I still have my rights, and I order you to stop!"

"Calm down, I'm only trying to diagnose you!" The doctor yelled back, trying to restrain her; Kaz, Ocelot, and Big Boss, hearing the commotion, entered the examination room.

"What's going on here?" The Boss ordered, Kaz separating the doctor from Danielle with his crutch.

"Nothing Boss, sir. I was just doing my job, I've got her blood work and it should be ready soon." The doctor said, saluting.

"Then why were you on her like that?" Ocelot asked, interrogating the man with his look alone.

"I-I wasn't, I was just examining her. She didn't agree with it, but you see, sir; she has a bit of swelling, and I was just trying to do my job!"

Their attentions turned to Danielle, she stared back at Ocelot in search of help.

"Where's the swelling?" Big Boss demanded, the doctor scurried over to Danielle, opening her examination cape; Big Boss comforted her, allowing the doctor to continue, he showed them her well noticeable protruding belly.

"S-She's in term, Boss!" The doctor proclaimed, showing him her firm abdomen; Big Boss moved the doctor out of his way, feeling her abdomen for himself. Danielle couldn't do anything, she took short breaths as she was panicking on the inside; Kaz's face turned quickly from shock to anger, blaming her before thinking over the entire situation.

"Get an abortion, you conniving bitch!" Kaz ordered, resting his crutch on her stomach; Big Boss forcefully pushed it back away from her, having him stumble into Ocelot. Danielle broke into tears, confessing she was just as shocked and concerned as the rest of them; they all knew the Boss couldn't procreate because of the Bikini Atoll incident.

"Are you angry?" Danielle asked, Big Boss noticing he still had his hand on her stomach.

"No." He answered, looking back at Ocelot. "I'm guessing you two knew for quite some time."

"We knew for about a week and a half, saw the little thing and all." Ocelot replied, showing him the ultrasound photo. Big Boss took a second, remembering his condition.

"Even if she is knocked up, it'll never survive; the radiation, hell I don't even know how it happened in the first place!" Kaz added, stepping up next to the Boss. "It's best that she gets an abortion, it may not even survive to full-term; even if it does, it'll probably be useless, giving the radiation and age wise."

"Think about it Boss, think about what possibilities there'd be; a son could be just like you, or even a daughter, given the right training." Ocelot suggested.

"This is pointless, it couldn't be more than a disabled child; is that what we're running here, a damn daycare full of disabled beings?" Kaz answered for Big Boss.

"It's like I don't exist, it's my body; shouldn't I have a say in what I want? A person's life isn't some military experiment grown from a Petri dish, what if I don't want my child growing up in this and becoming bitter and heartless or even worse, dead? You think I want to see my child skip out on a life they could've had, and growing to hate their parents because they were so selfish? I would leave you in a heartbeat." Danielle confronted the Boss, his eye narrowing at her statement; she braced herself not knowing whether he'd strike her or push her, but instead he tightened his jaw and sighed.

"I support whatever decision you make, if you carry past your second term, you do whatever you feel is right." Big Boss answered, breaking his concentration on the photo in his hand. "How far along is she?" He added, handing the doctor the ultrasound photo.

"Let's see here, hmm... by the size, eleven weeks, could be early twelve; healthy, very nice."

"So, everything's fine? No birth defects or nothing like that?" Ocelot asked.

"It's too early to tell, it's barely a fully formed human."

"If it's even that." Kaz added with a snort, Ocelot shook his head with a sigh, rolling his eyes at the statement.

"You'll need full balanced meals, exercise and try to partake in less stressful activities and stay away from dangerous environments." The doctor instructed Danielle, she thanked him and apologized for bickering with him earlier.

Big Boss brought Danielle back to his quarters, making her more comfortable; he took out a cigar, still focusing on the photo of his unborn child. He knew he had one hell of a job, running the base while raising a child, he chuckled to himself at the thought of Ocelot raising the kid as he raised and trained DD. A familiar voice rang from behind him, "You know smoking's bad for you... and the baby."

He got up from his chair, taking one last hit of his cigar before succumbing to her request. He joined her on the bed, kissing her deeply before placing a tender kiss on her stomach.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

She looked into his eyes, thinking of the right words to respond with. "I didn't know how, I mean if you didn't believe me and how much stress you've been under, I just didn't want to hurt you anymore. If I had a miscarriage before it even got a chance to fully develop, what would be the point?"

"It wouldn't have mattered? At least there was something, what if I had of gotten deployed and possibly killed; wouldn't you have wanted me to know? Instead of living with a secret you kept and not having me, the courtesy, to witness it?" He asked, an all too familiar feeling striking him, he choked those feelings back; knowing she'd never lie to him, she wouldn't hurt him, not like **them**.

"Of course it would have, I just took Ocelot's advice; I'm sorry, I was just afraid of causing you more grief and pain; I wanted to see for myself, if the fetus survived until my second trimester, and of course I wouldn't have been able to hide it then." She said solemnly, kissing him before he rested his head in the cuff between her neck and collarbone.

"I would've really kept you waiting, huh?" She asked him with a giggle, he snorted in response, cutting the lights.


	9. Chapter 9

Danielle was well into her pregnancy, pushing twenty-five weeks; the Boss was busy as usual, leaving her alone to fend off the unnecessary hate. They blamed her, accusing her of potentially putting them all in danger, that she was nothing but a distraction to the Boss; if only they knew how wrong they were, how much she sacrificed in helping keep him in top shape. No matter how homesick she was, Danielle knew where she belonged.

Snake had ordered for personal caregivers to assist Danielle, they watched after her closely; attending to her every need, waiting on her hand and foot. She was admitted to bed rest, the Boss fearing she'd miscarry, had that arranged for her too. She didn't like that feeling, being waited on, feeling like she was helpless; her body was in peak condition for her to carry on with light work, but she knew the Boss wouldn't have any of it.

Kaz also had a change of heart, he often showed up on days that weren't as busy; he claimed the only reason he'd come was to drop off DD, Danielle loved the company of him. He'd lie in bed with her, and keep her mind from wandering under stress to whether or not Big Boss would soon return. Kaz would use the excuse to talk with her, setting up a quick game of Dominoes. He'd even bring her snacks from the mess hall; oatcakes with a side of canned fruit, or a banana and peanut butter, which was her favorite.

"You know, I never thought you'd be so concerned, Miller, sir. I know you've been through a hell of a lot, you all have. My condition isn't making things any better in the least." Danielle managed to utter to the man sitting across from her, his eyes shielded by a pair of tinted aviators. He didn't move or respond, she couldn't tell if he was looking in her direction or not, so she passed it off as he may have been resting his eyes.

"Why wouldn't I be? You're as top priority now as the Boss himself, he wants to make sure you're as safe and comfortable as possible. If not, all hell will break loose; no one wants to see that." Kaz answered, sitting up from the chair, followed by a low groan.

"But I'm proud, it brings me justice to see him a bit happier. We all lost something, and now he's slowly gaining things back. Besides, I wouldn't mind seeing a little 'Snake' running around here, making a mock of things." Danielle shot him a warm smile, it comforted her, knowing that Kaz did have a heart for children rather than being solely bent on revenge.

Just then, a fellow nurse entered to check on Danielle; shooing DD, he examined her abdomen.

"I'm just going to check the position of the baby, just relax." As he fired up the ultrasound machine, Kaz took DD back to his pen; hearing the droning of an incoming chopper, Danielle asked to wait for the Boss.

"The baby has turned vertically, but it has breech presentation. I'm going to have to manually turn the baby through external cephalic version, the baby's position needs to be corrected before the head gets heavier." The nurse explained as the Boss joined, Snake grabbed Danielle's hand as she reached for him.

"Do you know the gender?" Big Boss asked, breaking the silence in the room as the nurse worked.

"No, I wanted it to be a surprise. Besides it doesn't want us to know just yet." Danielle pointed out, the baby's position was covering it's genitalia, forcing them to wait just a little longer. Danielle was put onto her side with her hips lifted to keep the baby's position in tact, she felt the aggravated fetus kick in response.

"It's kicking!" Danielle exclaimed, switching her position to get a better feel. She guided Big Boss' good hand over her stomach, the baby moved under him. He poked at the little one, watching as it pressed back in return.

"That's one tough little bugger, he'll make a fine soldier one day." The nurse added as he shut off the machine.

"Wait, you saw the gender? I thought... what?" Danielle asked, her eyes wandering between both men. "You knew didn't you?"

"I was informed first, yes, I wanted you to be surprised. Honest. I've known for two whole months." Snake confessed, kissing her forehead in apology. "But to make it up to you, I have something to show you." He helped her out of the patient's bed and sat her in a wheelchair, he wheeled her to an under construction room; upon removing the work in progress sign and unlocking the door, Snake took her hand and escorted her inside.

"What is all of this?"

"A nursery. Needs a slap of paint and some furniture, then it'll be good to go, well for now." Snake answered, watching as Danielle teared up.

"Shit, it's my damn hormones." She sniffed, "This is so sweet, thank you so much." She added, embracing Snake; he reached down and kissed her through her hair, he took her hand as he got down on one knee, showcasing a black leather box.

"You know I'm not too good at this sorta stuff, but ever since you came into my life I've never had a day where you've not been there. This base isn't nearly big enough to show how much I truly love you, you are my best friend, mother of my unborn son, and the love of my life; will you marry me?"

Danielle felt her knees weaken, she accepted immediately, the Boss slipping a tungsten brushed pipe cut engagement ring on her finger. It didn't fit all the way on, due to the swelling in her hands caused by the pregnancy; she admired the fine details, it bared the iconic Diamond Dogs logo with a string of diamonds on the sides, on the inside of the band was engraved 'Forever'.

A tear rolled down her somber cheek, slipping between their kiss; the cheers that echoed through the isolated room startled her, realizing their conversation was being broadcast through the entire base. Hundreds of men gathered, saluting and congratulating the two, as they made their way out. Their outlook on her now was changing for the better.

Ocelot and Miller congratulated them personally, already making suggestions for their special day.

"You'll be so beautiful, hope your day is special!" A voice called out from the door frame of Ocelot's office, Danielle turned to see her good friend Ann, she was part of the Animal Conservation Team.

"Oh Ann, how I've missed you! It's been a while since I've had the courage to come out to the AC platform, it's been tough." Danielle mentioned as she hugged the fellow woman, Ann's hand comforting her as she sat the other down.

"No, it's fine. It's ridiculous, so much drama and gossip going around here; it's like they're all little school girls. And us women are supposed to be the ones that gossip a lot!" Danielle chuckled, mocking some of the men she'd overheard while the Boss was away.

"So how are you these days? It won't be long before this little one comes, have you decided on a name yet?" Ann asked, her over-enthusiastic personality coming through as her voice peaked with excitement.

"Not yet, I just found out that we're having a boy! Snake knew of course, it was supposed to be a surprise, but oh well. I picked out a few girl names, couldn't find anything that related to Snake. I mean, John, but there's tons of Johns and Jacks."

"Oh, I understand, girls are so much easier. I would love to talk with you more if you're feeling lonely, I've got a bit of work to catch up on. Until next time?" Ann suggested, hugging Danielle once again.

"Of course, it'd be grand seeing you again! I'll finally have someone to share my pregnancy woes with, other than those three." Danielle joked, rubbing her back in exasperation. "Just drop by whenever you're not too busy, I can't move at all, the swelling is a pain!"

Ann giggled as she waved Danielle goodbye, Snake came around the corner just after.

"You're off of bed rest for now, docs say everything is fine."

"O-oh, ok; that's great news. He's been growing like a weed in there for the past few months, hope he's just excited to see his mommy and daddy as we are to see him. What do you think, Snake?" Danielle asked, caressing her bump as she cooed. He stared into her longing eyes as she gently stroked the side of his face, still singing to herself. Reality was finally kicking in, it hit him like a bolt of lightning; she was so young, too young to be the mother of his child, too young for him. Sure she was just as mature as the rest, but the age gap wasn't just another hurdle in the equation.

What if this creature, this thing, was a figment of his imagination? No, it was all too real, she was real, their relationship was... real. But so did his dreams, his hallucinations, they all felt real, but not as real as the love he felt for this woman. But why? She was all too gregarious, all too forgiving and caring; not like the others, sure all the men on base cared for the Boss, they had respect for him like a father. A leader. She was different, she connected with him, healing him when he was down, comforting him when he was hurt. She truly loved him, even if he didn't love her back, she was always there.

"I'm wasting your youth, you should be living out your dreams; not with an old fool like me. I was wrong, I don't deserve you; and now you're here, carrying God knows what."

"What? Our growing baby boy... w-what are you saying? I never would've guessed you felt the same way, I had a senseless childish crush, I don't care how you see it, I was meant to be with you. Maybe fate, or faith brought us together; I won't let some rumors or age differences stand in our way. I love you for the man you are today, I don't care how many times you've failed, how many times you've had to get things on the right track. I'm sure every man wants to be you, not for all the things you've endured which have made you stronger, but for the respect, and the power. I look up to you as my mentor, my lover, and my Boss; I wouldn't have it any other way." Danielle said, her arms wrapped around his neck, "Besides, birth defects would be captured on the ultrasound. Our little boy is perfect!"

Snake breathed a sigh of relief, she was so genuine, so pure. She'd do anything for him, not out of honor, but for him. He had sworn to protect her, keep his family safe from harm; the only true family he'd ever had, despite the feeling of more than a majority of his life being missing. He felt like she was the only one sane in this place, maybe not rational, but fully aware. She'd stand her ground when the time came, she was just as fearless, even if the true danger lied right between her fingers.


	10. Chapter 10

Through soft kicks and deep breaths, Danielle laid awake while the little one drummed away in her womb and her partner slept at her side.

Carefully turning over, she eyed the man, she drew circles on his chest, playing with the tiny hairs atop of it.

"Dead to the world." She quietly laughed to herself, the baby moved around inside, sticking his little limbs where they shouldn't have been.

"Oww, that hurts mommy." She whispered, helping guide his foot out from between her ribs; he was always grumpy in the mornings, more so like his father.

Danielle leaned over and laid her head on Snake's chest, the soothing thundering of his heartbeat giving her a tranquil effect; he started mumbling in his sleep, like always. Sometimes he would blurt out full sentences; whatever was on his mind, he didn't have a problem expressing it.

"I wonder what he's dreaming about." Danielle thought to herself, she watched as his muscles tightened, his face began to twitch, and his jaw clamped down as his breathing became rapid; soon after came the convulsions, she turned him over on his side as his breathing labored.

"Shh, it's ok, just breathe; you're all right." She said, stroking his back as he gasped. The seizures lasted no more than three minutes, but they sure as hell drained him of energy; he rarely ever woke up right after them, but when he was up, he was up.

"It happened again didn't it?" Snake asked as he regained his consciousness, wiping blood from his mouth with the back of his hand.

Danielle nodded in response, "Let me see how bad it is." She demanded, turning on the bedside lamp, Snake reluctantly showed her his freshly lacerated tongue. It wasn't as bad as the one prior, "You won't need stitches, consider it lucky." She stated.

"Are you all right, did I hurt you?" He asked, she shook her head, getting up to help clean him up.

She ran a basin of warm water, carefully dabbing away at his face; he was worn out, sure he could do 48 hours in the field with little to no sleep, but to come home to only be dosed up to be able to finally try and sleep, that was torture. His doctor suggested that they were stress seizures, the constant nightmares of the traumatization he's experienced day after day, one can only imagine what he's seen.

"You should try and sleep, it's not even dawn yet; you need it, you can't keep drugging yourself to feel something, I'm real, and I'm here to talk with you if you need it. Don't keep pushing me away, it might not seem like I understand, but I can." Danielle added, Snake shrugged off her offer.

"It's nothing, it's just the memories… memories I thought I'd put behind me."

"Just get some rest, it won't be long now. I can't imagine what hell will come of this when he gets here; the screaming, and the messes, you're in enough pain already." Danielle sighed as she lay her hand on his shoulder.

Snake looked up at her for a moment, taking a second to reflect on the sight in front of him, "Being deemed infertile, maybe it's something to help cope with the stress, it's not like I'm at a healthy child bearing age anyways; I've passed my prime, years ago, and you, you're just starting out. You have a hell of a life ahead of you, I just can't shake that feeling; it's too wrong."

"It's not, I'm not a child, I'm my own woman; you know it would've hurt you more if I gave up on this child, because I was afraid or because I just didn't think he deserved this type of life. I know it isn't fair, but how could you continue to look me in the eye as an equal? To me, you'd see nothing but a heartless killer, only thinking of myself. I wouldn't and shouldn't deserve respect if it came to that, I couldn't bare knowing that I killed a child; the guilt would've eaten at me until it drove me insane, what if the procedure left me barren, the last child I would've seen in my lifetime. What then?" Danielle asked, her emotions getting the best of her.

Snake remained silent, he pulled her into his lap; consoling her as he wiped away her tears.

"It's ok, I'm here for you; we'll make it, one day at a time."

She leaned away from him, looking into his eyes; her hands combing through his hair before lightly brushing the scar on his bottom lip, he kissed her down her neck, his hand trailing up and down her back as she tilted her head back with a sighing moan.

Snake attempted to pull off her nightgown, Danielle kept a firm grip on it, embarrassed at her weight gain.

"You wouldn't want to see me, besides I'm just not that self-confident."

Snake narrowed his eyes, he was in front of her without his eyepatch, his prosthesis, and showcasing his scarred frame. Why would he mind baby weight amongst his extremities?

He shook his head, slowly kissing over her body as he made her feel more comfortable; he reached for her breasts, only to be turned away once again.

"They're too sensitive, I'm lactating." Danielle responded accordingly. He took his time, feeling around her lower half, his massive palm grinding against her, teasing her entrance with his middle finger, silently asking for permission; she lifted from his lap, stepping out of her nightwear and undergarments, to her surprise he sprang into action, setting her back down in his lap.

Their eyes met again as she wrapped her arms around his neck, "Be gentle." She whispered into his left ear, Snake slipped into her, giving her full control of the depth of penetration. She straddled him, bouncing lightly in his lap; he kissed and nibbled on her left shoulder, before laying back to have her on top.

Bracing herself on his knees, Snake caressed her bump, she smiled down at him. She leaned forward with her hands on his chest, he began to thrust from the bottom; they were at their peak from lack of relations, both of them finishing in record time. He took one last throaty breath, and before he knew it, he was out like a light. Danielle laughed to herself, redressing and covering him up; she kissed his forehead, granting him a good night's sleep.


	11. Chapter 11

Snake stood by Danielle's bedside, holding her hand as she pushed, his hand turning purple under her grip. With one last push, out popped the head and shoulders, allowing the baby to enter the world at last. The fellow soldiers yipped and hollered, congratulating the couple of their first born.

The doctor was quiet, too quiet. Snake rested his hand upon the doctor's shoulder, asking why hadn't the babe cried yet; the doctor handed Snake his infant son, the newborn's limbs hang, limp with no source of life.

"Stillborn." The doctor explained, the room fell quiet as each man apologized, giving them space to grieve.

Snake grasped the lifeless infant in his arms, cradling him, as he and his partner wept. He took one last look at the newborn's face, absorbing it into his memory; the face changed, it became distorted, disfigured. The bloodied fetus awakened, giving Snake a sinister grin; the baby had a strong resemblance of him, it bared one blinded eye, his prominent features, as well as his shrapnel horn wrapped in bandages.

Snake nearly fell from his seat in the chopper, Pequod chuckling before he asked the Boss if he was all right.

"Yeah, yeah, just a night terror. The mind does strange things to you when the lack of communication leaves too much room for imagination." Snake answered, checking the safety on his pistol before tucking it back in the holster.

"Boss, we have an emergency." The incoming voice channeled through the earpiece of the radio transceiver, "Return to Mother Base. It's a go, Boss. She's in labor." Said Kaz.

"Was that the call you were expecting, Boss?" Pequod asked, chiming in; Snake focused his eye on him, deep in thought.

"She's six weeks early."

"You don't look too thrilled, is everything ok, Boss? Let me guess, that's what you were dreaming about, huh?" Pequod asked, "It'll be ok, she's been taken good care of, I'm sure they'll be fine." He added with a smile, putting the Boss's mind at ease.

By the time the Boss had returned, Danielle had already given birth; Ocelot stood outside of the Medical Platform waiting on the Boss's arrival, his arms folded close to his chest.

"How's she doing?" Snake asked, "Good." Ocelot returned, "And him?" Ocelot tightened his grip around his torso, avoiding eye contact with the Boss.

"He's doing fine, he's quite a looker; he has his mother's eyes and nose."

"Ocelot, is something the matter with him? Any birth defects, mental impairment?" Snake asked, his answer being cut short by Kaz joining them.

"We're waiting on his official evaluation; they're cleaning him up, checking is weight, that sort of thing. He was six weeks early; premature, adding to whatever hell else, I'm surprised he's still alive." Kaz added, showing sympathy for the Boss.

"Snake, if he doesn't make it, there's always DD; he's an easy keeping companion, nothing short of a big kid himself."

"He'll make it, he was very active, there's nothing wrong with my son." Snake stated, interrupting Kaz, they watched as he left their sights, entering Danielle's room.

Upon entering her room, he was greeted with a warm welcome by the new mother, holding her newborn son.

"I named him Dannie; he's a full four pounds, no ounces, and 18 inches long. He looks nothing like you, it's strange how DNA works." Danielle mentioned, cradling the sleeping baby. Snake held his son, and pulled the blanket down away from his face to get a better look at him; he had dark brown wavy locks on the top of his head, dimpled rosy cheeks, and a button nose. He narrowed his eye, staring down at the infant silently, he handed the baby back to his mother.

"I remember, his face…"

"Snake, are you ok?" Danielle asked with concern, watching as he bowed over a counter, recollecting his thoughts.

He grabbed the sides of his head, remembering _the_ traumatic event; Ocelot and Kaz rushed to his aid, having a doctor sedate him before he suffered a heart attack under the shock of extreme stress.

"Is he ok?" Danielle asked, quieting the disturbed baby, rocking him back and forth.

"He'll be all right, he's had a long day; too much excitement, he's getting too old for this. Don't you worry, just get some rest, you must be exhausted." Ocelot suggested, shutting her door before taking the baby to the nursery.

Danielle watched as they set Snake in a room opposite of hers, she couldn't help but think about what the Boss had said, how the baby triggered his reaction; the more she tried reasoning through the ordeal, the more tired she got, soon after she found herself in a deep sleep.

The next morning, she awoke, clambering out of bed for her baby boy, as soon as she picked up her son, she went over to check on Snake; to her surprise, he wasn't there.

Stepping outside, hundreds of men flocked around the platform, weaving through the crowd, she wondered what the commotion going on was.

"Snake, let me help you; you're suffering from all the stress that's accumulated over the years, we're your friends, we'll help you." Ocelot called out, trying to calm him down.

"I remember, I remember everything; who I am, is gone."

"What's he going on about? Boss, you've really lost it…" Kaz said, only to be interrupted.

"The _tape_."

Ocelot's face was stern and rigid; he knew the jig was up.

"When I look down at his little face, it's like I'm looking into a mirror, a mirror of truth, not this; this deceiving image I have to face on a daily basis. How long did you think this twisted plot for revenge would pan out? And what, so when I did come to… you're, you're going to kill me now, right?" Snake questioned, fuming as his memories washed in.

Danielle joined them, breaking up the crowd that surrounded them; questioning the Boss's sanity, "What's going on? Are you ok? Don't get yourself worked up, I want you around to see him grow up." She joked, yet no one laughed; the tension in the air surging under seething rage, Ocelot motioned for her to return to her room, Snake cut him short, grabbing her by the arm.

"She should know; this entire base should know."

"Know what, Snake?" She asked, setting her hand upon his face.

"The truth. You were there too, Kaz. In the hospital, after the explosion, _he_ went under cardiac arrest, it took too long so _he_ went into a coma. But I, I took some shrapnel; hundreds of foreign bodies of human teeth and human bone, I lost the sight of my right eye, and a limb for _him_. I devoted my life to keep _him_ safe, oh what one wouldn't do to keep the Boss safe, right? So these scars, they're not scars of a legendary soldier, but the ones of a fool; these men forced to work under my command, I'm just like them, a serving soldier, no rank higher, no matter what." Snake explained, turning to Danielle; she was speechless, yet expressionless, he didn't know if she fully understood.

"I was nothing but a field medic, stripped of my face, my identity; everything was stolen from me to protect the _real_ legend." He continued, loud enough for the entire base to hear.

"Oh God! How, why, would anyone do this? You were his stand in? I-I don't know how to feel; I don't know what to think."

"First, I'm getting you home; whatever it takes, we're getting out of here." Snake said, dragging her behind him; Ocelot and Kaz ordered the men to scatter, "Back to your duties, now!"

"Oh God, they knew, even Kaz? Where are we gonna go… I have so many questions, Snake, why aren't you listening to me?" Danielle demanded, he looked at her silently, stopping the packing of their bags.

"I'll answer them to the best of my knowledge, but not here, not now; we have to go."

Several men stood guard, trying to reason with him; Snake shrugged off their sympathy, dismissing them as he tugged his family along.

"Boss, I stand under your order, whoever you may be." A fellow soldier called out, still saluting.

"Pequod, I need you, asap." Snake radioed in, requesting a chopper.

"Roger that, Boss."

Pequod arrived shortly after, questioning his passengers with his gaze.

"I need you to take us to land, don't do it for me; do it for them."

"I don't think he knows." Danielle added, focusing her attention on Dannie.

"The whole world wants your head, Boss." Ocelot called out, Snake reluctantly looked back, mumbling under his breath, "Fuck you."

***  
"Were you married?" Danielle asked, breaking the silence between them.

"No, no family; nothing. I served as a field medic, a doctor, under the MSF. I was under hypnosis, implanted with the Boss's memories. Don't you understand? Everything I had, everything I knew is gone. In the span of a few hours, my identity was ripped from me and my world turned upside down. I started out as nothing, and I've ended up as nothing… and I don't know what the hell to do about it." Snake clarified, holding his head in his hands

"I'm truly sorry, I do understand; how selfish a person could be, it's not enough that you risked your life for him, but to live as his body double, that's just something else. But you did great, if not better; those men, they looked up to you with utter respect. But who I am to judge, you're a seasoned man, in the field, and in life. Nine years ago, I was a child, and in those nine years I fought like hell to get away; to have a better life."

"What do you mean?" He focused his gaze on her, intent on the continuation of her story.

"I'm not a nurse, I was never a nurse; I lied to you, to all of you. My family was killed in the Angolan Civil War; I ran, I wanted a better life, I didn't want to suffer, asking God why, why me? I knew I'd be raped, beaten, left as a slave to birth future soldiers for the CFA, or whatever hell else those sick men wanted to do with us. After years of running and hiding, tending to my wounds seemed like an everyday chore, so naturally I excelled in taking care of you. When I met you, Boss, I knew God had led you to me. Luckily English was a second language for me, the staff on Mother Base helped me with additional grammar; I practiced and practiced, perfecting my grammar and almost killing my accent. I made myself useful, helping out in areas I could until a fellow nurse appointed me. He noticed how good I was with helping treat patients, it was then when he asked if I were a new nurse. I lied right on the spot, I hoped no one would see through my amateur technique, depicting my age, I figured they'd cut me some slack. Men were coming in by the dozens, no one would remember me, I'd kept to myself anyways, it's not like I had tons to point out my wrong, and still to this day, I won't ever regret my decision."

Snake was greatly impacted by her story; he took her in his embrace, wiping away the tears she'd shed.

That was a risky thing to do, but I appreciate that; we just have to start over new, would you be willing to take that journey with me, or is that too much to ask?"

"Why would I leave you, especially now, we have no one but each other; besides, he needs a father figure in his life. My mother led me out before the CFA soldiers reached our village. I watched my neighbor's head come clean off her shoulders, my mother begged for their lives; they took my father and my brother. "Stay safe." She said, "Grow up to be the woman you've always dreamed of." And then I became your nurse, even though it wasn't a legitimate job, I felt like I was somewhere I could call my home, somewhere I belonged; away from the pain of losing everything." She said, her voice choking up with emotion.

"I'm sorry, hopefully we'll never have to go through that; knowing I have the face of a wanted man. Today I'll leave my mark as, _Ahab_."

"Ahab, this marks the end of the line; we're entering enemy territory, we will be fired upon if we venture any farther." Pequod announced, decreasing the altitude of the helicopter to avoid enemy detection.

"I know of a place where we can go, it's an abandoned village where a friend used to shelter me for a while; if he's not there, hopefully the place hasn't been raided too bad. It'll give us a couple of days before moving on, it has to be our best bet on survival." Danielle mentioned, showing Ahab the location on his iDroid.

He guided Pequod a ways closer to the destination, allowing them to safely walk the remaining distance.

"Be careful down there, Boss!" Pequod called out for the last time, waving farewell.

Ahab took the lead, protecting his family from any wandering on duty soldiers; once there, Ahab scoped the place out.

"All clear." He called out, motioning for Danielle to join him; they gathered inside, looking for supplies which were in an abundance.

"Oh good, he must still be here. I still can't believe it's in one piece. Ahab?" She called after him, the sound of a gun cocking startling her; she crept around the corner of the makeshift bedroom, eying an African man sticking him up.

"Bamidele! It's ok, he's with me, let him go!" Danielle demanded in Afrikaans, the man took a long good look at her before lowering his weapon.

"Danielle is it really you?"

"Yes, it's me; he's with me, it's ok." She reiterated.

"I thought the CFA took you away long ago; but him, you're a traitor, using your non-native tongue. You sleep with this white man, and bear his child?" Bamidele questioned in English.

"This man saved my life, if it weren't for him, I wouldn't be here today. My son, he was an accident, but we won't speak of that now; we need somewhere to stay, please Bamidele."

"The woman and child stays."

Ahab sized up the man, not wanting to take forceful action, he stepped down.

"Alright, fine. I'm only doing this for them, I need to get them out."

"To where? There are CFA soldiers plaguing the fields, you wouldn't make it ten feet away from this place. The soldiers come through every so often, the only way I get by is because I'm a merchant, I sell things to them when they're in need." Bamidele replied, showing them his abundance of goods.

"We'll make it, he's the legendary Big Boss."

Bamidele laughed, taking her word for a joke; he noticed his striking appearance, no ordinary soldier ventured past here with equipment like his.

"Forgive me sir, I did hear of your travels here in the past year; I did not expect you to return to Africa, t-take anything you need, I have two bedrooms, and a cot for your son."

Ahab and Danielle settled in, Bamidele giving them their space. Danielle still had to coax Ahab into sleeping, his own fear of the same reoccurring nightmare, day in and day out; the look upon his face after realizing it was all a dream was heartbreaking for her, not to mention him waking up in his own urine.

Danielle sat up with Bamidele, watching as Ahab slept with his son; the light of the candle in the room flickering in the wind, capturing shadows of the various objects in the room. She dreaded that if he awakened, he would more than likely lapse into another traumatic experience or go into another epileptic seizure. She was stocked on supplies for a while; combat anesthetic, disinfectants, and first aid, Ahab's prescriptions were a must, no matter how free he was of _them_ , stress always creeps back.

"What happened to his head?"

"He had an accident, the shrapnel cannot be removed, or you know, death. It's either that, or he'll be mentally impaired. He has severe PTSD, it gets quite ugly." Danielle answered Bamidele, speaking in her native tongue to prevent Ahab from listening if he were to wake up.

"I see you've married him. Blood diamonds."

Danielle twiddled with her ring for a moment, the Diamond Dogs logo giving her mixed emotions, "No, we're not married, not yet. Are there still rough diamonds in these parts? He collects them, I'm not sure if he'll be willing to trade them for money, but it could help us out a lot. I don't want to have to run with my family from can to can't, I know it's a hell of a lot to ask given our situation. But I don't want to raise my child in never ending violence."

"You're aiming for America aren't you? If they're raw diamonds, you need to bring them to a diamond cutting and polisher; depending on size, color, and shape, you can sell them off in exchange of what they're worth. I cannot help you with being smuggled out of the country, I'm sorry."

"It's fine, we'll find a way; we always do. Thank you for your help, Bamidele, we appreciate it." Danielle said, giving her old friend a hug for the night.

Ahab and Danielle ended up staying with Bamidele for months, turns out the diamonds were too small to make even enough for a couple of bucks. They risked their cover, venturing out farther than their safe house, searching for bigger loot. Danielle managed to teach Ahab Afrikaans, they spoke it often, especially when they were out. He taught her how to properly use automatic firearms in return, she traveled with an automatic rifle and pistol.

By the time they made up what seemed more than an adequate amount, Ahab and Danielle went in search of a cutter; he had her to get rid of her ring, the cutter carefully plucked out the diamonds and melted the tungsten band, ridding their last memory of the Diamond Dogs.

Dannie was growing up before their eyes, Ahab declared everyday their son was growing up in his shadow; the sooner they'd get their pay, the sooner he'd have time to enjoy, or what he presumed to try to enjoy, being a first time father.


End file.
